Prof Joseph Blankholm's talk, "Spirituality in Santa Barbara, Past & Present" FREE & OPEN TO ALL. FIND OUT MORE: https://www.campuscalendar.ucsb.edu/event/profs-at-the-pub-spirituality-in-santa-barbara-past-and-present

Spirituality in Santa Barbara, Past and Present

Professor Joseph Blankholm will lecture on the rich history of metaphysical spirituality in the Santa Barbara region, which remains a global hub for all kinds of spiritual seekers. His talk will describe the specific beliefs and practices that are common in this spiritual tradition and discuss some of the metaphysical movements that continue to thrive in Santa Barbara, like Spiritualism and New Thought. Blankholm will also discuss how metaphysical beliefs and practices like energy, vibrations, channeling, and manifesting have become part of popular culture. As metaphysical spirituality becomes more mainstream, it’s more important than ever to understand its influence on parts of life as different as the gig economy, the growth of alternative medicine, and the realignment of party politics in the twenty-first-century United States.

 About the Professor

Joseph Blankholm is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His research focuses on secularism and the variety among nonreligious people, including atheism and spirituality. His latest project, on metaphysical spirituality, is supported by a $1.5m grant from the John Templeton Foundation.